House Energy Doctor's Level III Building Energy Audits as Pedagogy and Outreach

摘要

Arizonans spend over $9 Billion annually on primary energy consumption which is equivalent to the entire state budget. The building sector in Arizona consumes 45% of that energy. Many older pre-energy code buildings have poor performance, and consume immense amount of energy. The House Energy Doctor (HED) program has developed an in-house tool set that includes the operation of specific site instruments and "Site Survey Forms" to be used in conducting Level III energy audits for existing residential and commercial buildings. The energy audit is a major part of the Masters of Science in "Design and Energy Conservation" and is used in providing outreach service to building owners while fostering students hand-on inquiry based learning. Since 1986, outcome of using the established HED Level III energy audit process has been successful in yielding pronounced education opportunity for students and for homeowners alike, while providing an average of 50% savings in the total energy used by existing buildings. These results also have a great impact on improving building's operation, reducing cost, and minimizing the carbon footprint a valuable resource in the emergence of America's new energy economy. This paper describes the HED Level III advanced energy audit process, provides details of the distinctive in-house developed Site Survey Forms, their contents and method of use, and demonstrate successful case studies applied to campus building and residential community single family houses.